Dipping apparatus for producing rubber articles



H. F. MITZEL.

DIPPING APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING RUBBER ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 19, I918.

Patented Jan. 11, 1921.

I J t w I the cit which:

v.uurrrazu STATES PATENT OFFICE;

HARVEY I. MITZEL, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO REVERE RUBBER COKBANY, A. CORPORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

DIPPING APPARATUS FOB. PRODUCING RUBBER ARTICLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'known that I, HARVEY F. -Mrrzn1., a citizen of the United States, residing in of Providence, county of Providence, tate of Rhode Island, have invented certain new. and useful Improvements in Dipping Apparatus for Producing Rubber Articles, of which theoiollowing 1s a full, clear, and exact description.

-, This invention relates to apparatus for forming articles of rubber and similar materials by a process which comprises successively dipping forms into a rubber solution and drying the coating, the operation being repeated until a layer of rubber of sufiicient thickness has been obtained. The object of my invention is to provide an improved apparatus for carrying out this process, the improvements residing in the arrangement of a movable support or conveyer for the forms; the manner in which the forms may be secured to the conveyer; and the -.form of the dipping tank.

The invention will be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in

Figure lis a view of the aratus in elevation, the conveyer being 'cated by dot and dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail in elevation illustrating the dipping tank and its relation to the conveyer;

Fig. 4 is a detail in elevation of a porpion of the conveyer, illustrating the manner 11 which the forms are carried.

The apparatus comprisesthree units A,

B, C, each consisting of a frame work which rollers 5, 6 and 7.

sup orts arseries of feed rollers or idlers for $11 ing the conveyer 3 1n a circuitous path.

he frame'members of units A, B, are rigidly connected by beams 1 which serve to separate the risers 2, 2*, and intermediate the said risers is located'the driving mechanism for conveyer 3-. The unit C of the frame supports a table 4 and a series of idler The conveyer 3, which comprises two endless chains 3, connected by means of the form strips 8, passes under idler rollers 6, over table 4,.over idler rollers 7 and thence to idler rollers 5 from which point the conveyer leads into a circuitous path through frame unit B in the following manner:

Specification of Letters 1 mm. P t t d Jan, 11, 1921, Application filed February 19,1918. Serial No. 218,068.

in mesh with a worm (not shown) on shaft 13. The conveyer thence leads to a set of dlerrollers' 14, thence to an opposite set of idler rollers 15, thence to a set of idler rollers 16, and thence toa set of idler rollers. 17.

rom the idler rollers 17, the conveyer 3 leaves unit B of the machine and comes into register with a dipping tank E. By re'ference to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the form strips 8 are inverted when the are brought into" register with tank E so t at the forms carried by the strips project within the solution in the tank.

One object of my invention is to prevent the drippings ,from the forms passing into that portion of the tank which receives the forms, so that the latter may travel in undisturbed solution, thereby avoidin air bubbles, caused by the drops of sol ution from the forms, which would blister the coatings-r To this end 'thetank E is provided with the partitions 18, 18" which separate the dipping chambcrv a of the tank from the dripping chambers b, c. In its movement to carry the forms into the dipping chamber a of the tank, the conveyer 3 passes under a set of idler rollers 19, and these idler rollers areso proportioned to'the dipping chamber a that the forms upon their emergence from the tank are immediately brought beyond partition 18 or 18 (according to the direction of movement oi the conveyer) and the drippings from the refine pass into dripping chamber 6 or c WlthOllt' disturbing t chamber.

Any suitable meansmay be provlded for maintaining a constant level of rubber solution in the" dipping chamber a andfor car-- tion.

The conveyer is-carried through unit A of unit B. After passing into register with t e e contents of the dipping the machine in the same circultous' manner as that employed for its passage through dipping tank E, the conveyer meets idlers by a worm (not shown) on worm shaft 13.

The conveyer thence passes over a set of rollers 28 and thence from end to end of the machine back to the set of idler rollers (3 above table 4.

The worm shaft 13 carries a sprocket wheel 29 (Fig. 2) connected by means of chain 30 with a second sprocket wheel 31 on a shaft 32 which 1s rotated by means of the inter-meshing gears 33, 34, the latter being mounted upon a pulley shaft 35 carrying a pulley 36 for belt connection with any suitable source of power.

The form strips 8 illustrated in the accompanying drawings are adapted to support the nipple forms 36, the latter being provided with sockets 37 to receive the yielding means of fastening between the form and strip, which, in this instance, comprisesa cork post 38.

In operation, the forms are placed upon the form strips as the conveyer slowly moves over the table 4. The forms upon their emergence from the dipping tank move in a circuitous path through unit A of the machine and in such manner that the forms are alternately inverted and reverted to overcome any tendency of the solution to flow downward and mass at an end of the form. After leaving unit A of the machine, the forms again pass over table 4 where they may be inspected, and, if covered by a desired thickness of the solution, removed from the form strip. But if a second dipping is required, the drying of the film of each form is continued by the passage of the conveyer through a circuitous path in unit B of the machine, thence again into the dipping tank.

The direction of movement of the conveyer over table 4 may be reversedwhenever desired by reversing the rotation of pulley 36.

By providing two units of guiding idler rollers and by disposing the dipping tank intermediate the units, the conveyer may be given an adequate length of movement for the drying of the coating on the forms and at the same time the distance opposite rollers of a unit may be made sufficiently short to prevent the sagging of the conveyer and to permit the forms to be inverted at the time the coating tends to become substantially affected by gravity. Rollers 7 are provided with take up devices 27 by means of which any desired tension may be given to the conveyer,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: V

1. A dipping and drying apparatus for the production of rubber articles comprising an endless movable support on which dipping forms may be carried, and a tank for rubber solution comprising a dipping chamber and a dripping chamber for the said forms.

2. A dipping and drying apparatus for the production of rubber articles comprising a tank for rubber solution, dipping forms, a movable support on which the dipping forms are carried, 'means whereby the said support maybe moved in a zig-zag path to successively invert and revert the forms, and a table over which the movable support is passed.

3.. A dipping and drying apparatus for .the production of rubber articles, comprising a movable support, means whereby the said support may be moved in a' zag-zag path to successively invert and revert a face thereof, means carried by said face for rigidly holding dipping forms, a tank adapted to hold a dipping solution and into register with which the support is moved, and a table over which the support passes.

4. A dipping and drying apparatus for the production of rubber articles, comprising a tank for -rubber solution, dipping forms, a movable support on which the dipping forms are carried, and means whereby the said support may be moved in a zig-zag path to successively invert and revert the forms.

5. A dipping and drying apparatus for the production of rubber articles comprising a tank for rubber solution, an endless movable support and means for moving the same into register with the tank, a cylindrical post formed of yielding material carried by the support, and a form having a socket adapted to receive said yielding post, whereby the form is frictionally held upon the support.

6. A dipping and drying apparatus for the production of rubber articles, compris ing a dipping tank, a flexible support, means for flexing the support in a zig-zag path, dipping forms rigidly secured to said sup- 9. A dipping apparatus comprising a movable s'u port on which dipping forms may carried, and a tank in the ath of the supportcomprising a dipping c amber and a dri pin chamber for the said forms, said cham rssing in communicationnear their bottoms,

10. dippi apparatus movable suppo rg on which may comprising a dipping forms be. earned, a tank for containing liquid inthe path of the support comprising a dlpping chamber and a dripping chamber for said arms, said chambers being in communication near-their bottoms, and means for maintaining the height of liquid in the chamber substantially uniform.

pp g e 11. dlpping and drying apparatus for makin dipped rubber articl .88, comprising a tank or rubber solution, means for successively'dippinga plurality of forms in the the solution, and

solution, and means for prevent the depositioni on the dipped forms (1% bubbles for12ned b the drip.

. A ipping and drying apparatus for making dipped rubbervarticles, comprising a tank for rubber solution, means for successively dipping a plurality of forms in means for segregating that portion of the surface of the so ution into which the forms dip from the remainder of saidAsuirface. d d f 13. ipping an ry' apparatus or making dipped rubber ar lii les, comprising a tank for rubber solution, means for successively passing a series of forms into and 'out of the solut1on,-and means for localiz ing the bubbles, caused by the drip from the forms as they emerge, out of the path of the immersed forms. U

Signed at Providence, Rhode Island, this 15th day of Februar 1917.

H'AiiVEY F. MITZEL. 

